Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1887-07-16

INC uhrhtb-Ahe ATihAb
of the Woman's Lot - The IncOnsider-
ateness of Man Toward His Helpmate.
/ have had many women in my en-
ploy, but they were always either so
pretty and bright as to attract attention,
which developed in marriage, or so
stupid as to be of no use whatever. And
right here is good time for me to say
that, while it is always an embarrassment
to a considerate person to say to an en-
ployee, II have no further work for you"
it is trebly difficult and frightfully en-
barrassing to have to say it to a woman.
In the first place, if woman is working,
it stands to reason she does it for liv-
ing, and if you dismiss her, so far as you
are concerned, you interfere with her
getting a living. 1t is hard to make
woman understand that, while she may
be of great service to some one else, she
is of no special service to you. She is apt
to feel hurt and look at what is a purely
business necessity as personal slight.
This woman question is pretty broad
and a very deep one, worthy of careful
consideration by men as well as women.
In the economy of our social structure
women are almost entirely dependent
upon men, and men are, as rule, hog
gish enough to let the women understand
it. 1t is useless to say to the ordinary
individual. "Your wife works quite as
hard as you; her holidays are few; the
breaks in the routine of her labor are
very rare, and the strain upon her mind
and tug upon her heart are not lghtened
OF lOosened as yours are by brisk contact
with the world and frequent glimpses at
the kaleidoscope of affairs. You go out,
she sits in; you spend, she saves" All
this sort of thing is useless to the aver
age man; his hide is thick, his senses are
blunt, he makes the money, he is the boss
In my judgment the true way to elevate
woman is to put into her hands the if
truments of self-support !; to make her
fit companion in the world of business
and letters as she now is in domesticity;
to pare down the hide of man, to cut off
two-thirds of his "rights," to pull out the
bung of his barrel of conceit, and let
him understand that she who was given
to him as a companion was not intended
to be slave. When American women
understand that there is nothing degrad-
ing in work, when the seed of ambition
is planted in the breasts of school girls,
when children are taught to regard life
as field of labor, one great step will
have been taken toward the plane on
which all right thinking men desire to
see their mothers sex. Surely there are
grades of occupation suitable to in
ie1lects of every capacity, from the hum
BILE but useful house servants, through
the successive steps of housekeeper,
clerk, saleswoman, forewoman, stenog-
rapher, teacher, physician.
There is for every honest, industrious
girl place waiting for her occupation.
No man should ever be allowed to
cook or wash dishes; all men who cook
and wash dishes and wait upon the table
take from women of low grade chance
to live. Men who are fit for nothing
better than that should either die or
seek employment as farm hands, as
street cleaners, as porters or messengers
No man should sell dry goods at retail;
by that mean no man should be what
is ordinarily termed counter jumper;
that is an indoor occupation especially
suited to women, whose tastes and habits
and landings familiarize them with
goods, and make them, if they care to be
so the very best possible servants to
their employers and the public.
1t is customary for women in stores to
call themselves salesladies.
think if they could see how utterly
ridiculous it would be to speak of sales
man as sales gentleman they would
fully appreciate the absurdity of the
title they arrogate to themselves. Ladies
tell me that saleswomen in the stores are
rude, impairment, careless, inatteptive.
This is very likely true.
Their work is hard, embarrassing and
nerve-taxing, and it is made still more
onerous by the lack of consideration
shown by shoppers. Thousands Of
women go from store to store, day in
and day out, without the faintest inten-
ton of buying a solitary article, simply
that they may see and handle the fash
ionable fabrics of the hour. Women's
intuitions are quick and experience
sharpens them. A saleswoman knows in
minute when a professional shopper is
before her, and it requires vast amount
of patience and good nature to show
article after article to an individual who
you know has not come there to buy
But, mind you, l am not treating
of honest, industrious, ambitious girls,
and say that for such, of certain de-
gree of intellect, service in retail stores,
frequented in a large measure by women,
is proper and normal occupation, and
further say that no self-respecting man
ought to seek employment behind the
counter of dry goods store, thread
and needle bazaar, candy shop, or, in
fact, in any of the places in which women
are the main customers. Men who are
suited to measuring calico and testing
silks can find occupation of equ remu-
neration as clerks in warehouses, in
wholesale stores, in factories, as light
porters and as bookkeepers.
In all our public schools men have .
better chance than women.
A principal who wears trousers is paid